Dale M. Gray is the president of Frontier Historical Consultants. Frontier Status reports are a free weekly annotated index chronicling the progress of the emerging "space frontier".

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Frontier Status 219

September 8, 2000

by Dale M. Gray

Frontier Historical Consultants

The past two weeks have been productive for the space frontier. The construction of the International Space Station continues its rapid pace with the launch of the Shuttle Atlantis. Russia launched two Protons in two weeks, China launched a Long March and Arianespace launched an Ariane 4. Each successfully deployed its satellite payload. U.S. President Clinton defers the decision to deploy the missile defense system to his successor. Stardust mission controllers are dealing with a fogged lens. The Solidaridad 1 communications satellite fails in orbit.

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Highlights of the week of September 9 include:

Shuttle blasts off to International Space Station
China launches Long March 4B with recon satellite
ILS Proton launches Sirius-2
Ariane 4 launches Eutelsat W1
Russian Proton launches Globus military satellite
GM looks for Hughes buyer

SHUTTLE

Atlantis

On Friday, September 8, the Shuttle Atlantis launched at 8:45.47 a.m. EDT precisely at its best launch time to rendezvous with the International Space Station early on Sunday morning. The Shuttle entered a 205 x 175 statute mile orbit after two OMS burns. The shuttle will catch up with the ISS at a rate of 276 miles per orbit. The mission was lead by Commander Terrence Wilcutt, USMC (4th flight); and piloted by Scott Altman (2nd flight). Mission specialists include Edward Lu (2nd flight), Richard Mastracchio (1st flight), Daniel Burbank (1st flight), Yuri Malenchenko (2nd flight) and Boris Morukov (1st flight). While three of the crew are space rookies, the other four have experienced six launches and have amassed 181 days in space. Yuri Malenchenko spent 126 days on Mir where he logged two EVAs totaling 12 hours. There was some concern that the flight would be delayed due to weather concerns, but the weather was within flight parameters at launch time. Earlier in the week, the Service Structure was struck by lightning. Following a nominal climb to orbit, the crew secured the Orbiter, conducted the two OMS burns and prepared for their first night's sleep (CNN; NASA; Spacefligh t Now Launch Article; Spaceflight Now Mission Status; Spaceflight Now Lightning Strike).

The Shuttle will dock with the International Space Station on September 10 at 1:53 a.m. Two members of the crew, Edward Lu and Col. Yuri Malenchenko, will perform a spacewalk to attach several cables on the outside of the modules. Following the spacewalk, the internal hatch will be opened and the crew will begin unpacking the SpaceHab Double module and the Progress supply vessel. They will also install batteries, and complete air purifiers and bathroom facilities (Space.com).

ISS

Schedule

The International Space Station partners have announced a new completion date for the orbiting outpost. NASA announced that it will formally open the station in April of 2006. This is the second time the completion date has been pushed back. The station was originally scheduled to be complete in 2004. However, problems with the delivery of the Zvezda pushed the date back to 2005 and now to 2006. Russia has funding to complete its obligations until March of 2001. This includes sending the first crew to the station in late October of this year.

NGO

A recent memo circulating in NASA calls for the creation of the Space Station Utilization Research Institute (SSURI). The Non-Government Organization (NGO) would assume program management after the station had been completed. A transition phase would begin sometime in 2003. The SSURI would be based near Johnson Space Center in Texas (SpaceWatch).

Ham in Space

The on-going Atlantis mission will be delivering ham radio equipment among is cargo. The radio will be installed in the Zvezda module, but will be stored in the Zarya module until the Expedition 1 crew arrives. The Zvezda module was outfitted with ports where the antenna will be anchored. The gear will be used by the crew to contact ham radio operators around the world. The system was designed and built by the Amateur Radio International Space Station (ARISS) organization. Since 1983, the Space Shuttles have been outfitted with Ham Radio, allowing astronauts to talk to Ham Operators, children and their families. The Russians have a similar program aboard their Mir station (SpaceDaily.com).

Destiny

The American Destiny research module being built by Boeing passed its Acceptance Review Board at KSC on August 30 and 31. The 28-foot long, 16-ton research laboratory was built at the Marshall Space Flight Center by Boeing and shipped to KSC in 1998. The module, equipped with five systems racks, will be launched on January 18, 2001. Six additional systems racks will be added during a February, 2001 flight. As the lab is brought to life, up to 13 additional experiment racks will be installed (Boeing PR; Spaceflight Now).

LAUNCHES

(Includes the week of September 1, 2000)

Proton / Globus-1

At 4:08 p.m. on August 28 a Russian Proton K/ Block DM-2 rocket was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It successfully deployed its Russian Ministry of Defence payload (Kosmos 2372 or possibly Raduga-1) into a geostationary transfer orbit 6.5 hours into the flight. The classified Globus-1 satellite will be placed in geostationary orbit where it will provide a communications relay link for Russian armed forces. The satellite was built by the Reshetnikov company. The satellite will replace the older Gran' series of satellites. The launch was delayed from August 26 to August 28 due to a loss of electrical signals to the satellite when it was being assembled and tested at Baikonur (Spaceflight Now; Itar Tass; Interfax; Jonathan's Space Report).

Long March 4B

On September 1 at 11:25 a.m. Beijing time (11:25 p.m. EDT August 31), a Chinese Long March 4B rocket was launched from the Taiyuan launch center in the Shanxi province of China. The rocket, built by Great Wall Industry, carried the Zi Yuan 2 (ZY-2) remote sensing satellite for the China Aerospace Corp. The satellite was successfully deployed 12 minutes into the flight into a 474 x 493 km x 97.4 degree orbit. In addition to its duties collecting images and other data, the space craft carries a "space science experiment". This is China's second remote sensing satellite. This was the third launch of the Long March 4B configuration, which is capable of carrying 1,500 kg to geosynchronous orbit. The three stage rocket is composed of upgraded stages from the Long March 4A rocket (SpaceViews; AP; Spaceflight Now; Jonathan's Space Report). Spaceflight Now; Launchpad Article).

Proton / Sirius-2

At 5:44 a.m. EDT on September 5 an ILS Proton configured with a Blok DM upper stage was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The rocket, one of the old-style Protons, was outfitted with extra fuel filters and was thoroughly inspected for contamination and bad seals. The six RD-253 engines fired flawlessly for the first 2.5 minutes of flight. After the first stage fell away, the second stage fired for three minutes and then it too separated. The third stage ignited soon thereafter and fired until T+10 minutes, leaving the payload and Blok DM upper stage in a parking orbit. The Blok DM fired twice (T+43:50 minutes and T+123:17 minutes) to boost the satellite into the desired 6,192 x 47,057 km x 63.4 degree elliptical orbit. Satellite separation occurred about 2.5 hours after launch. A communications link was established with the satellite at 8:08 a.m. EDT. Solar panels were deployed at 11:49 a.m. EDT. This was the 16th ILS Proton to be launched and the 280th Proton since the rocket debuted in 1965. The Proton rocket has successfully flown 10 times this year (PR Newswire; Interfax; ILS Web Site; Spaceflight Now Launch Article; Space.com; Spaceflight Now Mission Status).

The Space Systems/Loral-built satellite will be part of a system that will deliver 100 channels of digital radio programming and information to subscribers in the United States. Built on the FS-1300 bus, the fueled satellite weighed 3,800 kg at launch. This is the second of a series of three radio-broadcast satellites to be launched for Sirius Satellite Radio. The first satellite, Sirius-1, was launched by a Proton rocket on June 20. Sirius-3 is expected to be launched in October. The launch date will be determined by the availability of the new redesigned Proton 2nd and 3rd stage engines built by the Voronezh Mechanical Works. The spare satellite, Sirius-4, was to be placed into storage in December, but has been delayed by damage during assembly. Sirius has alliances to install three-band radios in Ford, Chrysler, BMW, Mercedes, Mazda, Jaguar and Volvo automobiles. After market adapters will be made available so that existing cars can be converted for the $9.95 per month service (PR Newswire; Interfax; Spaceflight Now; Jonathan's Space Report; Sirius Radio Web Site).

Ariane 4 / Eutelsat W1

On September 6, an Ariane 4 (44P) rocket carrying the Eutelsat W1 satellites was launched from ELA-2, Kourou, French Guiana. Flight 132 left the ground at 6: 33 p.m. EDT from Complex 81 pad 23 at the opening of the launch window. The four solid motor strap on motors performed nominally and were jettisoned on schedule. (Spaceflight Now; Arianespace).

The Astrium-built W1 is configured with 28 Ku-band transponders to provide broadcast TV, Internet and data services to Europe and southern Africa. The 3,250 kg (fueled) EuroStar 2000+ spacecraft will be placed in the 10 degrees East longitude orbital slot where it is expected to begin operations in about a month. This satellite is a replacement for the original W1 (a Spacebus 3000), which was damaged during a fire at the factory in 1998. This is the third Eutelsat satellite to be launched in the past five months with three more planned for next year. With W1, Eutelsat now has 18 satellites in orbit (Eutelsat PR; Jonathan's Space Report).

LAUNCH SYSTEMS

Atlas 3

The Russian company Glushko Energomash is on schedule to deliver five more RD-180 rocket engines to the American company Pratt & Whitney by the end of 2000. The 13 ton engines are transported two at a time on an Il-76 transport plane. The first Atlas-3 to use the Russian engine launched Eutelsat W-4 in late May of 2000 (Florida Today).

Kistler

Kistler Aerospace announced this past week that it plans to make the first launch of its reusable K-1 spacecraft in early 2002. The company had hoped to make its first commercial launch by as early as 1999, but problematic funding pushed test and launch timelines back. The company has $500 million in place, but needed an additional $400 million to proceed to first launch. The company expects to have funds in hand by January and conduct its first test flight within a year. Following the first commercial launch, the company hopes to make a public offering. Kistler hopes to dramatically lower the cost of space flight with its reusable launcher (SpaceDaily.com; Reuters; Kistler Web Page; Discovery.com).

TECHNOLOGY

Tethers

Research engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a concept of "redundant load paths" to toughen materials used in cables and tethers. Drs. D. Stefan Dancila and Erian Armanios developed the tailoring concept that is currently in the final stages of being patented. The potential space applications being examined include both tethers and inflatable space structures. Flexible composite webbing tailored with the process would be better able to handle accidental internal pressure pulses. The process may also be applied to climbing ropes and helicopter crash restraints ( Georgia Tech Research News; Science Headlines).

Radiation Shielding

A student at the College of William and Mary has developed a process to produce materials that can shield solar explorers from radiation. Chemistry major Ryan McGlothlin has created a mixture of polyethylene and common topsoil that can be baked into a shiny black bar that can be used for shielding. While low-mass liquid hydrogen provides the best shielding, hydrogen-rich polyethylene is a more practical substitute. The easy to transport substance can be mixed with local materials such as regolith to provide shielding bricks for astronauts venturing to the Moon or Mars. The bricks are effective with only 10 to 20 percent polyethylene (AP; BB C; Flori da Today).

Solar Propulsion

SRS Technologies of Huntsville, Alabama have developed a method using a thin-film material deployed by spacecraft to reflect and concentrate solar energy. A seven-bound reflector will be deployed on a boom to create a "15-foot tall magnifying glass", which focuses the Sun's rays on a hydrogen tank. Superheated hydrogen is then ejected in the form of ionized gas to propel the spacecraft. The plastic reflector, which consists of material ten times thinner than a plastic garbage bag, will not degrade in the harsh space environment. The material is currently being used by Hughes to concentrate solar energy on the solar cells of its HS-792 satellites. The reflector system is much lighter than traditional upper stage rocket engines that SRS hopes to replace. The device development was the result of funding from the Small Business Innovative Research Program (Huntsville Times).

Gamma Ray Medicine

Breast cancer may have a new weapon thanks to a NASA developed gamma ray camera. Ph.D. candidate Matthew Dallimore of Sauthampton University is developing the camera as part of an award from the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council. The camera will help doctors to pin-point the spread of cancer by providing images of the first "sentinel" lymph node near the breast cancer tumor. Doctors can then remove the single lymph node to determine if the cancer has spread. This will allow the patient to avoid the painful and disfiguring auxiliary lymph-node dissection. Using the new technology, post operative patients are injected with a radioactive tracer that emits gamma rays. The tracer concentrates in lymph nodes, allowing the camera to image them. A minor operation can then remove the sentinel lymph node. Research has shown that if the sentinel lymph node is free of cancer, the rest of the system is free as well. The technology has been proven using a small-scale medical detector and funding from the award will allow the construction and testing of a full-scale prototype and the development of a business plan to commercially produce the system (BBC).

Multibeam Antenna

The Australian firm CSIRO has developed the technology for a multibeam antenna that is capable of receiving signals from as many as 10 satellites in a 70 degree angular range. The dishes use double reflectors and an array of feed horns that can be positioned to receive individual satellite signals. Additional feed horns can be added as system requirements grow. The system will allow satellite service providers to replace banks of up to ten traditional antennas with one multibeam antenna. The first four 4.2 meter multibeam antennas have been ordered by TST Kommunikations-technik GmbH (TST). Two of these dishes will be installed at SES-ASTRA's satellite control center in Chateau de Betzdorf, Luxembourg (SpaceDaily.com).

LEGISLATION

Russia Space Funding

Despite the scheduling of six Progress and two Soyuz flights to the International Space Station in 2001, Russia has yet to allocate funds or issue contracts for the rocket's construction. The Energia company has stepped into this void and has put up its own money to assure the launch of a Soyuz in April and Progress missions in February and April. With production cycles of 2.5 years, the situation could prove problematic for the station, which will depend on the Soyuz spacecraft as life boats until the U. S. finishes development of the Crew Return Vehicle in 2005. While Russia appears to have enough rockets in the pipeline to serve the ISS, it is unclear if they can serve both the ISS and Mir with available rockets (AviationNow; Spaceflight Now).

Missile Defense

In a speech to Georgetown University, President Clinton announced that he will defer the decision to deploy the controversial Missile Defense System to the next elected U.S. President. Candidate Al Gore (Democrat) has been non-committal on the issue, while George W. Bush (Republic) favors an even more aggressive missile defense system. Clinton's decision not to decide will mean that contracts to deploy powerful new radars in Alaska's Aleutian Islands will not be let. This will effectively push back the potential completion of the project beyond the originally targeted 2005 date. Testing of the missile intercept system will continue, but the Pentagon recently announced that the scheduled fall test will be pushed back to around January 2001. The deployed system is expected to cost $60 billion and will be able to protect all 50 states from limited rocket attack from the Middle and Far East (AP).

CHARISMA

Shenzhou

China is cranking up the publicity with a second Shenzhou model slated to be displayed in China during World Space Week beginning in late September. The week will begin with the 43rd anniversary of the launch of Sputnik and end with the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in 1967. The Shenzhou mock-up will be displayed at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution (SpaceDaily.com).

EXPLORATION

Stardust

Controllers have attempted to clear debris from the lens of the Stardust spacecraft's navigation camera by heating a small window that protects the detector. The action changed the temperature around the window from -35C to +8C. Blurring was noted when the camera imaged a small calibration lamp inside the spacecraft. It is thought that volatile material may have settled on the lens shortly after launch when the camera was the coldest component of the spacecraft. In layman's terms, the lens was fogged. The clarity of the image on the camera is not mission critical. The camera will be used for final navigation around Comet Wild-2's dust tail. Following the heating of the cameral lens window, imaging was improved, but the filament of the calibration lamp could not be resolved in images. Engineers hope to analyze star field images to gain a better understanding of the location of the debris on the lens ( ; Space.com).

Ulysses

On September 8, the Ulysses spacecraft began investigations of the Sun's south pole by passing over 70 degrees south. This is the second time the spacecraft has passed under the Sun, but this is the first time during Solar Maximum. The last passage was during Solar Minimum in 1994-1996. Ulysses was launched in October 1990 as a joint venture of NASA and ESA ( Ulysses Web Page (NASA); Ulysses Web Page (ESA); Spaceflight Now).

SATELLITES

Solidaridad 1

On August 30, Satelites Mexicanos, S. A de C. V. (Satmex) announced that its Solidaridad 1 satellite had failed in orbit. The satellite, which had a primary processor failure in April of 1999, suffered the failure of its back-up processor on August 27. The Hughes-built satellite was launched in 1994. After the failure, controllers attempted to recontact the satellite for 48 hours, which was as long as its batteries could maintain power. After this period, the satellite was declared a total loss. Solidaridad 1 was insured for $250 million, which company officials stated will be used to launch a replacement and to service debt. By August 30 most of the satellite's clients had been relocated to alternative satellites owned by SatMex or Loral Skynet. Both SatMex and Loral Skynet are members of the Loral Global Alliance ( Satmex Web Page).

Artemis

The ESA satellite Artemis is set for shipment to Japan's Tanegashima launch center for integration on an H2A rocket. The rocket is slated for launch on February 1, 2001. The unusual satellite is designed for on the ground users to communicate with other satellites. For example a researcher can use Artemis to monitor experiments on the International Space Station. The satellite will enable Envisat (to be launched in 2001) to relay instrument data to the ground in real time. Mobile users will be able to link to the satellite from anywhere in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East (ESA PR).

INTERNET IN THE SKY FRONTIER

Gilat

Gilat-To-Home (GTH) has signed an agreement to lease 14 Ku-band transponders on Loral Skynet's Telstar 7 satellite. The satellite capability will be used to rapidly ramp up Gilat's consumer two-way satellite high-speed Internet service in the U.S., which will debut this fall. Gilat successfully completed field trials with thousands of users in August. The service will be jointly introduced by EchoStar and RadioShack retailers. EchoStar will also package the service with a single-dish solution that can also receive direct broadcast television ( Gilat Web Page).

BUSINESS

GM/Hughes

General Motors has given its subsidiary Hughes Electronics permission to hold discussions with potential buyers to sell off all or part of the company. Hughes, which is traded under GMH, has hired Credit Suisse First Boston and Goldman, Sachs & Co. to advise them in their efforts. Companies that will be approached in the coming weeks include:News Corp., Microsoft, Liberty Media Corp., Vivendi, Verizon, Walt Disney Co., Viacom and NBC. NewsCorp is seen as the front runner and logical partner, but GM appears to be trying to set up a "bidding war". The move will forestall GM being bought, stripped of Hughes and sold off. This danger is caused by GM's $39 billion market value being significantly less than that of Hughes. GM may seek a tax-free transaction where they will probably be paid in stock in the new Hughes owner's company (NY Times).

Sirius Satellite Radio

In late August, stock prices of Sirius Satellite Radio dropped following news that the company's spare satellite had been damaged during assembly at the Loral Space and Communications Ltd. plant. Prices tumbled $3 13/16 to $47 on August 29 on the news. Loral announced that it was responsible for any costs associated with repair of the satellite. Stock prices rebounded and closed the week of September 1 slightly higher that before the news (Reuters).

Spacehab

Spacehab announced this past week that it had acquired a $6 million contract to build an exhibit for a new science and technology museum in Shanghai. The exhibit is part of a $180 million project. SpaceHab has previously built exhibits for Disneyland, Moody Gardens and Space Center Houston in addition to its space-related contracts involving the Shuttle and International Space Station (SpaceDaily.com).

SPACE STOCKS

The stock listing is for informational purposes only and not intended for trading purposes. Frontier Status shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Additional stocks may be listed by request (dalegray@micron.net).

Company Ticker Friday Close Previous Friday Change

Boeing BA 54.750 54.1250 0.6250

EchoStar DISH 53.0625 45.125 7.9375

GlobalStar GSTRF 9.625 10.5 -0.875

Hughes Electronics GMH 34.8125 33.9375 0.875

Lockheed Martin LMT 28.0625 28.6875 -0.625

Loral Space LOR 7.4 8.4062 -1.0062

Motorola MOT 35.625 36.0 -0.375

Orbital Sciences ORB 8.875 9.0 -0.125

Sirius SIRI 52.125 51.1875 -0.9375

SpaceDev SPDVE.OB 1.0312 1.3125 -0.2813

SpaceHab SPAB 5.50 5.6250 -0.1250

TRW TRW 45.3125 47.0625 -1.75

COMING EVENTS

Courtesy J. Ray and SpaceViews

SpaceFest 2000, Sand Point Park, Titusville, Florida.
September 14 - Ariane 5 (Flight 130), Astra 2B and GE-7, Kourou, French Guiana.
September 19 - Shuttle Discovery, landing, Kennedy Space Center.
September 18-21 - AIAA Conference, Long Beach, California.
September 20 - Titan II, NOAA L G-13, SLC-4W, Vandenberg AFB.
September 24 - Ukrainian Zenit-2, Badr-2/Meteor- 3M/Maroc-Tubsat/Reflector, Complex 45, Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
September 25 - Sea Launch Zenit 3SL, Thuraya, Equatorial Pacific.
September 26 - Ariane 4, Europe*Star FM-1, ELA-2 Kourour, French Guiana.
September 27 - ISC Kosmotras Dnepr, 5 satellites, Area 109, Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
September 28 - Minuteman III, GT-173-GM, Vandenberg AFB.
September 28 - Minuteman III, GT-174-GM, Vandenberg AFB.
September 30 - Soyuz-U, Progress M2 (ISS flight 2P), Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
October 6 - Pegasus XL, HETE 2, Kwajalein Missile Range.
October 6 - Shuttle Discovery, STS-92 (ISS 3A), Kennedy Space Center.

FRONTIER CENSUS REPORT

With the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis on September 8, the space population has risen to seven. Orbital demographics includes five Americans, a Russian and a Ukrainian. Humans have spent a total of 273.75 man- days in orbit in the year 2000. The first element of the International Space Station has been in orbit for 659 days. The occupation of the International Space Station is expected to begin in early November, 2000.

SOURCES

SERVICES

107 articles archived; 79 used

Dale M. Gray is the president of Frontier Historical Consultants. Frontier Status reports are a free weekly annotated index chronicling the progress of the emerging "space frontier". Send subscription requests (subscribe or unsubscribe).

Previous postings are archived by Simone Cortesi and at the Artemis Society

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